Lost and found… (Pt.1.)

The Beautiful Game

Image by MustangJoe from Pixabay

(Part 1)

Fast forward.  I spent the better part of the next decade cultivating my skills on the soccer field.

Conversely, my becoming a “rockstar” was no longer on my setlist.  Music had taken a much less prominent role and instead faded into the background, much like the soundtrack to a movie, my movie.  Seemingly overnight, my Raleigh BMX, my Rob Roskopp skateboard, my guitar, and my Casio keyboard had all gone missing and sadly, no one, including I, were searching for them.

Instead, I was squarely focused on becoming the best athlete that I could, dedicating endless hours to learning, training, and competing.  Most of my time, including nearly all of my weeknights, weekends, and even our family vacations, involved the “Beautiful Game” and its plethora of tryouts, practices, camps, games, and tournaments.  Prior to high school, five, even six days of most weeks, involved soccer.  My summers were spent on a blazing hot, sometimes stormy, pitch, with the remainder of each year spent on bright green fields of AstroTurf, illuminated by mercury vapor lights buzzing overhead.

That being said, I deeply cherished that time in my life.  I met so many people, fellow travelers, several of which became my competitors, teammates, and ultimately friends; my brothers, some of whom I would later see again on the venerable fields of high school varsity soccer and beyond.

In addition to my own time on the field, some of my fondest memories were of attending dozens of professional indoor soccer games with my family and friends.  I remember watching the players, my idols, some of which were only ten or twelve years older than me, all while envisioning my own future glory; names like Gordon Hill, Tasso Koutsoukos, Kim Røntved, Branko Šegota, the late Stan Stamenkovic, Tatu, and many others. Music, especially that of Genesis, Yes, and other artists that defined the “Big 80s”, created the soundtrack for these times.

Gordon Hill and coach Pat McBride of the Kansas City Comets circa 1984

Source: nasljerseys.com; Photographer: Unknown

Soccer (a/k/a football, fútbol, fussball, calcio) also allowed me to learn about other faces and places, far away from my home; there’s a big world out there.  As with music and cuisine, sport, especially the Beautiful Game, can facilitate an unspoken bond across humanity, despite our otherwise cultural, language, and daily differences.  In addition to looking up to the gridiron greats of that time, new names, idols from a different kind of football, came into my consciousness.  For me, names like Lothar Matthäus, Hugo Sanchez, Gary Lineker, Michel Platini, and “Gli Azzurri”, along with places like Estadio Azteca, Maracanã Stadium, and Wembley, became top of mind.  I learned about the legend of the late Pele, the paramount figure of our game, ‘O Jogo Bonito’.  But for me, it was World Cup ‘86 and that tournament’s iconic superstar, the legendary Argentinian footballer, the late Diego Maradona, that together became my “gold standard”.  Author’s Note:  Looking back at that moment in time still stirs a wonderful, hair standing-on-end-type of emotion.  For a quick glimpse, please watch the 2014 short film titled “Maradona '86”, from the ESPN “30 for 30” series, directed by Sam Blair.

“The Icon”

Image by TAHAR DJEMMAD from Pixabay

In a few short years, my life had changed.  I changed.  The soundtrack of my life, like a movie soundtrack, became a reflection of the times.  Even my favorite band, Van Halen, had experienced a major change with the introduction of a new lead singer, Sammy Hagar.  Songs like “Best of Both Worlds”, “Dreams”, and “Why Can’t This Be Love” from their “5150” album were now indelibly tied to my time on the field.  With movies like “Top Gun” and “Iron Eagle”, along with the unforgettable music video for the song Dreams, which featured footage of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, 1986 also became the year of the fighter pilot (or naval aviator) for countless teenagers across America, myself included.

“We'll get higher and higher. Straight up we'll climb…” - “Dreams” by Van Halen

Source: U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Over the next few years, the fields of athletic battle moved from those of competitive clubs and AAU to those of high school varsity districts and summer leagues.  However, my soundtrack, like millions of others, stayed in southern California, where for me the sounds of the Sunset Strip later united with those of South Central, to create the ultimate mixtape.

To be continued…